Day 7: The Day I Stopped Believing Everything I Thought

Hello, friends.

I never really paid much attention to my thoughts until I met my husband.

We have been together for sixteen years now and married for fifteen. He is my best friend.

I have to be honest here... Between the two of us, I am definitely the one who talks the most.

As you may have noticed throughout these reflections, I ask a lot of questions. I think a lot. I reflect a lot. I am on a beautiful journey of discovering who I am and how I want to live my life.

So, poor husband of mine... He is usually the one listening while I try to make sense of everything happening inside my head.

One thing he has always done, and something I had never really thought about before, is gently question my thoughts.

Whenever I tell him that I am worried about something, that I am not capable of doing something, that I am doing everything wrong... and the list goes on... He quietly asks: “Is that thought true?”

Sometimes I answer without even thinking: “Of course it is!” Then he smiles (he has the most beautiful smile!) and asks another question: “How do you know?”

That question usually stops me. Because if I am completely honest... many times, I do not know....

I am assuming. Imagining. Creating stories in my mind. Worrying.

Then comes the question that has completely changed the way I see my own mind: “Do you have facts... or is it your fear, your insecurity, or your doubts speaking louder?”

That question has stayed with me for years because it taught me to pause before believing every thought that crosses my mind.

For so many years, I never questioned my thoughts! If I felt insecure, I assumed I was not good enough. If someone did not answer my message, I imagined I had done something wrong. If I made one mistake, I questioned everything about myself.

I never stopped to ask: “Is this actually true?” I simply believed it.

Little by little, I began to realize that our minds are incredible storytellers. Sometimes those stories are beautiful. Sometimes they protect us. But sometimes they are written by fear. By old wounds. By experiences that no longer belong to the person we are today.

The day we stop believing every thought our mind produces, we begin giving ourselves permission to see ourselves beyond our fears, insecurities, and doubts.

To be clear, I still have fearful thoughts. I still have moments of doubt. The difference is that I am learning to pause, breathe, and question myself before believing every story my mind tells me.

Sometimes the answer is uncomfortable. Sometimes it is freeing. But every single time... it reminds me that I have a choice. Perhaps that is one of the greatest freedoms we can ever discover.

We are not supposed to understand everything perfectly or suddenly become people who never worry, react, make mistakes, or doubt ourselves.

Sometimes we recognize a pattern before it happens, and sometimes the lesson only comes afterward.

Perhaps we are all a little like beautiful puzzles, slowly discovering where the pieces belong. Some pieces make sense right away. Others take time.

Every experience, every lesson, and every moment of awareness helps us understand a little more of who we are.

We are all learning together.

-------------------------------------------------------------------- Before We Meet Again Tomorrow...

The next time a difficult thought appears... Do not push it away. Do not judge yourself for having it.

Simply pause. Take one gentle breath. And ask yourself: Is this thought true? Or... Is my fear filling in the empty spaces?

You may discover that your thoughts do not define you. Your fears and uncertainties do not define you either.

You are so much more than that.

Thank you for walking this journey with me.

With love,

Karem